Process for making cellulose-composition-material spectacle and eyeglass frames



Patented 0v. 3, 1925..

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE,

EIMER L. SCHUMACHER, OF SOUTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB' TO AMERI-CAN OPTICAL COMPANY, OF SO'UTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A VOLUNTARYASSOCIAT ION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

'I ROCESS FOB MAKING CELLULOSE-QOMPOSITION MATERIAL SPECTACLE AND EYE-GLASS FRAMES.

Io Drawing, Application filed February To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER L. SCHU- MAonEn, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Southbridge, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments inProcesses for Making Cellulose Composition-Material Spectacle andEyeglass Frames, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an proved recess for the manufacture ofspectacle and eyeglass frames, and the like, from a cellulosecomposition material.

A very important, object ofthis improved process is to provide a methodfor the manufacture of spectacle and eyeglass frames and the like fromcellulose composition material while such material is in an unseasonedstate, thereb making a great saving of material as wel as making a verynoticeable reduction in the cost of such manufacture.

Another very important object of this invention is to provide a processwherein spectacle and eyeglass frames, and the like, may be stamped orotherwise blanked out from green stock cellulose material, after whichthe scrap may be re-worked and issued from the machine as first gradestock to hereblanked and so on as many times as required, so that therewill be no wastage occasioned from the scrap material.

Another very important object of this invention is to provide a processof forming spectacle and eyeglass frames and the like from cellulosecomposition material by stamping or otherwise forming the same fromunseasoned stock, so that the scrap material may be put back andre-worked, the said blank after being stamped out from the green stockmaterial then being allowed to season, after which it may beproperlysized, polished, and otherwise put in a condition for, sale.

Heretofore spectacle and eyeglass frames,-

.and the like, have been blanked out from seasoned cellulose material.Ordinarily the sheets of cellulose material measured about 21 inches by50 inches, each sheet weighing approximately eight and one-half pounds,

19, 1924. Serial N6. 693,922.

pounds were actually used in the structure of the frames, while theremaining six pounds were waste. The seasoned sheet stock as purchasedcost approximately $1.20 a pound, while the waste material sells for anaverage of about ten cents a pound,-and as about 75 per cent of theoriginal seasoned stock was waste, many thousands of dollars were lostannually with a resultant high cost of manufacture. The scrap abovereferred to could not be re-worked soas to produce first grade sheetsfor this work, and due to the fact that the re-working is an expensiveproposition, was hardly worth while to re-claim this waste material toform second grade stock. However, when the waste material is used in theproduction of second grade stock, care must be exercised in keepingdifferent types of the material separated, that is, keeping batcheshaving,

different dyes or colors segregated, and

when re-Working, mixing this scrap material wlth new stock, and workingthe same together. The resultant material is called stuffed stock, whichis a poor class or second grade material and which cannot be used by themanufacturers of high class and high grade spectacle and eyeglassframes.

In the manufacture of cellulose composition material used in the makingof spectacle and eyeglass frames in the optical'art, a suitablecellulose such as tissue paper or purified cotton is nitrated in such amanner duce a mottled efi'ect, as for instance to create an imitation oftortoise shell, or the like, a mixture of two or more colors isintroduced into thls mixture WhlCh is called pyrox lin.' This mixingwith the camphor and a cohol forms the compositioninto a.

. mass'is thenpressed into a block by prefervmaterial to become verystiff.

ably hydraulic pressure under heat, after which it is cooled, whichcooling causes the After this has been pressed into a block it is planedor cut-into sheets of the desired thickness, after which itis allowed toseason. As the material issues from the mixing machine and is pressed toshape it is known as green stock. After this green stock has beenallowed to stand for a definite length of time it becomes what is knownas seasoned stock, and in this condition is then ready for formationinto such objects as spectacle and eyeglass frames. It is an expensiveoperation to season thisstock because it takes about two months toseason sheet stock .135 thick, staying all this time in dry kilnsheated. about 100 to 110 degrees constantly.

After these sheets have become seasoned the blanks for the said framesare stamped therefrom, after which the blanksare suitabl milled,grooved, shaped and polished to orm a finished article. Of course, itwill be seen that due to the shape of the mounting it is impossible toprevent the enormous amount of seasoned material that has heretoforebeen wasted in the stamping operation, and as above referred to inactual practice, with the greatest conservation of space on the blank,about 75 per cent of every sheet is scrapped.

In accordance with the present invention the cellulose compositionmaterial is formed by nitrating the cotton or other form of cellulose,washing the cellulose after the nitration step, mixing the same withcamphor and alcohol at the same time adding the desired coloring matter,then pressing or squeezing the massy dough into a solid cake or block,after which the solid cake or block is reduced into sheets and afterforming these sheetsfrom the block to stamp or blank out blanks for thespectacle and eyeglass frames, and the like. In other words, I stamp outthe blanks from the green stock before it has had time to season, as hasheretofore been done. After stamping out these blanks I place the scrapor superfluous material back into the machine,

and re-work it, so that it is again formed into a solid cake and slicedinto sheets as for the manufacture of these articles fronr the cellulosecomposition material. After these blanks have beenstamped out they areset aside to season, as has heretoforebeen done with the sheet stock, sothat ultimately we have the same form of inaterialin the mounting, butin the formation thereof we have obviated the lar e amount of wastageheretofore experienced. y

In stamping out these blanks allowances 'Wlll be made for the shrinkagethat ordinarily takes place during the seasoning process. pounds insteadof eight and one-half pounds, and blanks season quicker than the solidsheet due to their shape and size.

It is to be understood that the form of the. invention herewith shownanddescribed is to be taken as a nreferredembodiment of the invention, andthat various changes may be made without departing from the spirit ofthe invention or the scope of the subjoined claims. 7

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim: a

1. The process of making spectacle and eyeglass frames and the like fromcellulose composition material consisting of making We now season twoand one-half a sheet of unseasoned cellulose composition material andthen blanking out substantially the exact shape of frame from theunseasoned material. l

2. The process of making spectacle and eyeglass frames and the like fromcellulose composition material consisting-of making a sheet ofunseasoned cellulose composition material, blanking out the framessubstantially to exact shape from the unseasoned material, andthereafter seasoning the frames to the proper degree.

3. The process of making spectacle and eyeglass frames and the like fromcellulose composition material consisting of blanking out the framessubstantially to exact shape from unseasoned cellulose compositionmaterial and then returning the cuttings from the cellulose to the basestock to be re-used as the process is continued.

4. The process of making spectacle and eyeglass frames and the like fromcellulose composition material consisting in blanking out the framesfrom unseasoned stock, re-

turning the cuttings from the unseasoned stock to the base stock to bere-used as the process continues, and seasoning the blanked out frames.f

5. The process of making spectacle and eyeglass frames and the like fromcellulose composition material consisting in preparing a sheet ofunseasoned cellulose composition material, blanking out framestherefrom, allowin the unseasoned frames'to season and then s aping andpolishin the frame.

6. As a new article 01 manufacture, a blank of the character describedformed from unseasoned cellulose composition material.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a

'blank for forming spectacle and eyeglass frames and the like stamped tosubstantiall exact shape'from a sheet of unseasoned ce lulosecomposition material.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a

frame blank of the character described stamped from a sheet ofunseasoned material and seasoned.

9. ,The process of making cellulose, composition material articlesconsistin in preparing a sheet of unseasoned cellu ose compositionmaterial and then blanking out the articles to substantially exact shapefrom the unseasoned material.

10. The process of making cellulose composition material articlesconsisting in preparing a sheet of unseasoned cellulose comositionmaterial, blankin out the article rom the unseasoned material, andthereafter seasoning the articles. 11. As a new article of manufacture,a blank for forming cellulose composition material articles stamped tosubstantially exact shape from a sheet of unseasoned cellulosecomposition material. 12. As a new article of. manufacture, a cellulosecomposition material article stam ed from a sheet of unseasoned materiaand seasoned.

ELMER L. SCHUMACHER.

